The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-04-08
ON THE OKEEFINOKEE.
General Floyd's Scouting Expedi-
ton After Billy Bowlogs.
Captain sterne Tells what BefeII Himself
and His Superior in the Swamp
While Trying TO "Rout OUT
Old Billy.

Flureedian by the way he calls the
name O. that ere swamp" said Cap
tain Stelne, as we sat before a blazing
fire in his big log house among the
pines. "Flurcedians say Okyiinoke,'
and then Georgy people what lives in
the fiat woods, says Ofykinoke,' bout
half Their time. They git the name
terribly mixed, an make a mess o.
things, ginerly.
'What | started to tell We bout wus
the time we n Giner'l Floyd went
bear hunt'n. You see Giner'l Floyd
was the best Iniun fighter beyant, an
the Cove mel,t 'p'inted him to take is
men an rout old Billy Bowlegs out'n
that ere swamp. Old Bill, you know,
wus the head boss NV all the Injuns, in
them days, an while he was ruther
peaceable hisse'f, he had two NV the
torn-downdest villyuns under i'm that
ever cussed the yearth with Their i'll
begotten shadders. These wer' Tag
gertail an ole Mico. They'd come out
an raise a rumpus, m the whites 'ud
get alter 'em, an they'd just nat'lly
dive into that ere swamp like it wus a
wash hold in the river. Onct in there,
an all the devils in Yeurrup could'n'
do noth'n' with 'em.
"Ihe very mint Giner'l Floyd was
'p'inted he consated scheme to rout
'em out O there, m he gethered all NV
lis men an drilled 'em m regulated
'em so s Their could'n' be no slipence,
as the boys Wen they makes bad
shot playin' marbles. l was capri
NV squad NV scouts m rangers, an
Giner'l Floyd he sot lots o. store by
me. was to march ahead fust an fin
out the bes way to git in to the ilants
knowed ole Bowlegs by sight Wen
we was all frien'ly / useter see i'm
often at Traders Hill. wher' he'd come
to trade. He useter bring his two
boys, big strappin' yaller-legged fell
lers, long with i'm. He called one
Billy Buster beca'se he wus so tieshv,
an 't'other Billy Harvey, beca'se the
boyd hearn Giner'l Harvey, cuss an
tuck up the habit.
1.-The fus' day we came nigh the
swamp we had to splash long though
saw-permeter an gallberry bushes, an
bay-galls wher' the water was knee
deep then, an that was in ruther dry
time. At last we came to the bic
swamp, bout shutdown, an camped
Giner'l Floyd had sent seyer'l Wagons
'roun' by ole Fort White, an 'roun'
tother side O. the swamp, with grub
for the army when they got though
tho swamp. Mex mo'rnin', at the
peep O. day, we ms up m off, m fore
long we got good into it. The mud
wus so soft an deep that we couldn'
glt along, so l tuck Giner'l Floyd to
one side N, ses L; 'Giner'l, Their hain't
but one way ter git though this ere
bog, am that is to cut down saplins
m cut 'em into chunks N commence
layin' 'em down bout good step
apart. Let every Teller gether up a
chunk, step firm chunk to chunk till he
gifts us far as they're laid. then put his
chunk bout a step further on, an we
kin soon have good crossway in to
the fust liant
''Giner'l Floyd seed the notion was q
good 'un, so he put 'em all to work, N
by twelve o'clock he had a good cross
way built into the first liant. Soon as
we got there we begun to s'arch fur
1njun sign, but we didn't find noth'n'.
but some old meat scaitils an two er
three holes where they'd built Their
fires, so we struck camp. That night
we wus all purity lively, an some O the.
boys purposed that as we'd dislzivered
a new an unsettled kentry, we'd a per-
feet right to name it, n then he said a
whole rigcmarole bout BE t resolved
md so on, windin' up with namin' the
new islant 'Floyd's liant. We all Sec
inded the motion, n no dickens eff
that ere name hain't stuck to it ever
sence.
Mex mo'nin', afo'day, / went to
Giner'l Floyd n walked i'm up, m ses
]: 'Giner1, s'pose'n we 90 an see
what's t'other side o this ere liant
afore we go any furder. IF hits q bio
lake, wy Wen halter change our co Sc.
Ell hits only loblolly mash we may
be able to ford it. He greed to it. an
takin' our guns, regular old long-tawed
rifles, they wus, we started off. alter
cautionin' the boys to be plum ready
'g'nst we got back.
1--WE went straight east ard as NIGH
as we could come at it, and soon struck
high, dry hammock land, as rich as
ever crow flew over. AS it came
light the squirrels n birds m other
small varmunts came out as thick as
hops, n jest cheeped n chartered tell
they made the wosds ring. All nv
suddlnt we hearn low, drowsv, sort
NV roar lack the byars makes Wien
they's way off. Hit KEEP agittin' loud
er as we got nearer tell it went like
bees aswarmin'. l thought it wus
bees aswarmin', beca'se ev'ry holler
tree was full NV 'em, but Giner'l Floyd
said hit wer'nt bees aswarmin' beca'se
'twer'n't time O year fur EN- to swarm.
81 Hit struck me the Giner'l was
right, so we stopped N lis'ned keer-
fully, an at last hearn somep'n growl
lack hit wus smothe'd, sarter. ing
meow! 'ngne-o-o-w! ne-ow-owr M I
knowod right straight hit was bear.
"'Hit's bear, Giner'l, / said, sorter
low.
"'D'ye recllin?' says e.
az Jist as cert'n as guns, says I.
'S'pose'n we steal a march on
i'm, says e.
lies try It. says |, an off we
started in the direction nv the racket.
" Furry soon we come to narrer
laks Nv black lookin' warter, with